do I need a midwife?

[Kristal123]

Hello, wondering if anyone can help me, do I need to see a midwife? I am 22 weeks pregnant and have seen a midwife a couple of times, its atleast 30-40 minutes from where I live.. Despite living in london (you would think there would be somewhere closer) but my doctors sugery doesn't have midwives.. Is it a legal requirement? I don't mind seeing one I just want it to be more local, which they can't offer me, and I have two other kids who I don't like having to take them all the way there. I was reading online I could do 'shared care' between my gp and hospital. Does anyone else do this? I've had all my scans ect so really I just wanna go to my gp for monitoring. Any advice would help.

Also wondering where everyone else sees there MW is it at the doctors surgery? Or somewhere else? (Just want to know if its normal to be expected to travel far)

How far is the hospital? I never had any check ups at the GP only at the hospital

Is your surgery doing your prenatal checks or are they able to do so?

Hospital is also about 30 mins away, but I am expected to see a MW more often than I go to hospital that's why its more of an issue, when I went for my first scan I spoke to the receptionist about seeing a Mw but she told me I had to arrange it myself via my gp, who then reffered me to this one that's a 40 minute bus ride from where I am. I would just rather go to my gp instead of seeing this MW as my gp is a 5 minute walk, and most people I know see a MW at there gp surgery, just don't want it to rasie any unnessacery 'concerns' if I don't see a MW.

I haven't actually spoken to my doctors about it, but was going to call them tomorrow to see if I could just go there for future appointments, but wanted to know if anyone else does appointments through the gp.

I was split between a midwife and a consultant at the hospital because I was higher risk. The midwife did appts on certain days a month at my gp office. She wasn't there all the time though.

Really all they do at those appts is check your wee and blood pressure.. ask your Gp if they can see you for these appts or even half of the time.

It seems in London some GPs have midwives and some don't! Very frustrating as mine doesn't which means I have to see a midwife somewhere else a 20 minuts drive from my house.

But you can see the GP for every other appointment which is what I did last time but as I was also under costly any care I never really saw a midwife.

I had all my MW appointments at my GP surgery, the MW was there on Mondays and so booked everyone she was seeing then. It's not too far to my hospital but it would have annoyed me having to go there just for a quick blood pressure check, check pee, and quick feel of tummy. Especially towards the end of pregnancy when appointments are more frequent. Hope you manage to sort something out OP.

With one of my pregnancies my GP did the all of my ante natel care. I seen a consultant once & had 2 scans at the hospital.

With another pregnancy and a different hospital but still in London, I seen my midwife on a Saturday morning.

There are many ways to access care in pregnancy. Talk to your GP/ Midwife/hospital.

Take care.

I had about half of my appointments at the hospital with a midwife and half at the local surgery with a GP - I'm in London as well, and if it helps reassure you, I'm at Queen Charlottes :)

The appointments with the GP were generally just check ups where I was measured, had urine tested and BP done, plus a chat about any concerns etc - my vaccinations were also done there

Well if my midwife was anything to go by, she thought it was! I was threatened with a 'referral' when I missed an appointment, I phoned her and told her I couldn't walk due to suspected SPD (GP surgery was a 20 minute walk at normal non pregnant pace)

She never said what it was a referral to, but every time I hinted at postponing an appointment she'd raise an eye brow and mention this mysterious 'referral' she was going to make about me.

She booked my induction at 39 weeks. TOLD me I was going to have a
sweep. Not asked if I'd like one, TOLD

Anyway I digress.

SmilesandSunshine she must mean ss which is what my concern as I've heard people being refferred for not seeing a HV which is optional really so was wondering if MW were the same. As others have said I don't really want to travel 40 mins to do a quick urine test and bp ect, I feel fine and according to scans baby is perfectly fine. But recently I've mentioned to a few people I haven't see a midwife in a long time and I too get the raised eye brow so was abit worried.

But thanks everyone some great help, I don't feel worried anymore.

I missed the part of where people see their midwife. Im booked into the Whittington in North London. I see the midwife at my local children centre.

I last seen her when I was 16 wks. Scan at 20wks. Will see her again this coming Wednesday.

Ante natel appointments have been reduced dramatically since my lsdt pregnancy 5 years ago.